lower bone mineral density is associated with intertrochanteric hip fracture

Background: a better understanding of how bone mineral density and vitamin d levels are associated with femoralneck and intertrochanteric hip fractures may help inform healthcare providers. we asked: 1) in patients age ≥ 55 years,is there a difference in quantitative ultrasound of the heel (qus) t-score between patients with fractures of the femoralneck and those with fractures of the intertrochanteric region, accounting for other factors 2) in patients age ≥ 55 years,is there a difference in vitamin d level between those with fractures of the femoral neck and those with fractures of theintertrochanteric region, accounting for other factors? 3) is there an association between vitamin d level and qus t-score?methods: in this retrospective cohort study, 1,030 patients were identified using cpt codes for fixation of hip fracturesbetween december 2010 and september 2013. patients ≥ 55 years of age who underwent operative management fora hip fracture following a fall from standing height were included. three orthopaedic surgeons categorized fracture typeusing patient radiographs. upon hospital admission, qus t-scores and vitamin d levels were determined. descriptivestatistics, bivariate analyses and multivariable regression were performed.results: accounting for potential confounders, patients with lower qus t-scores were more likely to have intertrochantericfemur fractures than femoral neck fractures. in a bivariate analysis, there was no association between vitamin d leveland either fracture type. there was no association between vitamin d level and bone mineral density.conclusion: patients with lower bone density that fracture their hips are more likely to fracture in the intertrochantericregion than the femoral neck, but vitamin d levels are unrelated. awareness of this association emphasizes theimportance of bone mineral density screening to assist with intertrochanteric hip fracture prevention.